How to remove rust on blade

Recently, a customer asked us for the better way of maintenance of Japanese traditional-type kitchen knife.

“I used the hocho last night to slice vegetables for dinner.
After using, I washed the knife, dried with a paper towel, and let it air dry until this morning.

However, I noticed a discoloration on the blade this morning.
Is there anything I can do to keep it from changing color? Did I wash the knife improperly?
Is there something I can apply to the blade after washing? Any help would be greatly appreciated.”

 

The question is not special and many might want to know how to do it.

The blade of Japanese traditional-type kitchen knives is almost made of an iron or carbon steel, not stainless one.
It has very good edge holding, very high working hardness.

But the material is prone to oxidation or rust.
You should care for the knife every time of use — to keep the blade dry and clean.

<How to remove the rust on the blade >
The carbon steel is easy to oxidation or rust especially when the blade is very new.
If it has gotten rusted, please try the following,

(1) wet the knife with water, put the cutting board.
(2) sprinkle evenly powder cleanser so as to cover the rust.
(3) put a cork in the water.
(4) polish the rusted area with a cork, keeping the knife from moving.

< maintenance way after every use >
(1) wash the knife clean after every use. (use the cleanser as explained in the above if you have time)
(2) wipe the surface of the knife with dry tissue paper, after pouring the boiling water over the blade
(3) wipe off its surface with a little bit cooking oil by tissue paper

P.S.
A few days later, the customer gave us the following good news,
“Thank you for your information. I followed your directions and the stains were removed.
I also removed the stains from my older knives.”



If you have any question, please feel free to contact us anytime.

Thank you for reading and best regards!

All the Hocho-Knife staff
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“Hocho” represents Made-in-Japan (Sushi / Sashimi) Kitchen Knives,
that is the soul of the cook!
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